Mobile library back on the road after hiatus

A mobile library service that aims to help tackle isolation has hit the road as part of an island-wide tour this week, with further dates pencilled in for the new year.

The Mobile Library is run by the Manx Family Centre Association, which took over the Family Library after the organisation closed due to funding issues.

The bus will visit Jurby and Ramsey, before heading into Port Erin, Castletown and Kirk Michael as part of a three-day tour of the island, serving literature to rural communities and those with mobility issues.

It stocks a collection of books, audiobooks and DVDs, along with a bibliotherapy service which uses books to promote nostalgia and encourage social interaction.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the mobile library issued more than 2,700 books and delivered 1,800 at the doorsteps of those isolating on the island.

The Manx Family Centre Association has taken over the building on Westmoreland Road in Douglas after the Family Library closed its doors over rising costs and declining incomes, at the time stating it lost £100,000 a year.

The newly established Manx Family Centre is operated by the facility's former team under the banner of the newly formed charity the Manx Family Community Association.

Since the closure in July, a fundraising page had been set up - allowing for services like the mobile library to resume.

Centre Manager Sue Jolly said the team was "just so excited to be in" and welcoming people back through the doors.

"The re-opening has been made possible through the generosity and belief of islanders [and] the reaction from the public has been overwhelming," she said.

"Everyone recognises this is an invaluable service that sits at the heart of the Island's community."

The family library had been run as an independent charity since full funding was pulled by the Department of Education in 2011 in response to a reduction in the island's VAT income.

After the three day tour where the library will visit all corners of the island this week, a new timetable for the mobile library will be released for the new year.

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